Flu
by ducky72
Summary: When Gibbs comes down with the flu, Abby takes care of him. Then all of a sudden their friendship is at stake.
1. Chapter 1

_***** F L U *****_

_**Summery:** Someone gets sick, someone takes care. Story takes place around Abby's birthday. _

_**Rating:** K+ mostly ;-) ... and more T-ish towards the end_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own any of the characters in this story. Never did, never will._

_**A/N:** This past winter sucked. I actually like snow, but this was a bit too much...__ so why not share it with our favorite characters, even though it means dragging out the nasty cold weather for a bit?_

_I know I have like too many open construction sites, but I'm giving this story a first priority, because it is written as a Birthday Prezzie for KellyRoxton__. Happy Birthday, Kelly!_

_**Beta:** doomprincess01_

_

* * *

  
_

_**Chapter 1**_

End of March.

Thursday morning, 5:30 a.m. 25°F.

When was this lousy winter going to end? They did have some nice warm days earlier this March, but a few days ago it had started freezing again at nights.

The chance of spending another weekend on surveillance made even Gibbs grumpier than usual.

Special Agent Gibbs had taken over all the nights and most of the days, with the other agents taking turns, being his partner during the different shifts. Vance had gotten impatient already, but Gibbs wasn't willing to give up. And he would eventually be proven correct.

The trap snapped shut. Finally. After eight days of stakeout, that also ruined a weekend, out in the cold, with much too little sleep and far too much coffee - for everyone but Gibbs, who never thought he was having too much coffee - the suspect had turned up at the only place he better should not have.

Guilty.

It had only been a question of time.

Having the guy confess wasn't a big deal and after everyone had finished their reports, Gibbs told them to call it a day and head for home. At that very moment, Director Vance entered the team's bullpen. After congratulating everyone on their patience and dedication, he noticed how everyone hesitated to follow Gibbs's permission to leave.

"You may go now," Vance confirmed their dismissal. In addition to that he told them, "Tomorrow is off as well."

"You mean..."

"A long..."

"Weekend...?" Three agents incredulously asked.

"I do," Vance told them, never taking his eyes from Gibbs.

"Yesssssssss!" Tony hissed and everyone quickly gathered their stuff to get out as fast as possible before Vance could possibly be able to change his mind.

"You look as if you need a day off as well, Special Agent Gibbs." Using Gibbs's official title had been the Director's full intention so as to underline his statement.

Gibbs gave Vance one of his famous stares, but it did not come across as convincing as it was meant to be. A dull headache was building up and he didn't even know where it was coming from. Nor was he able to remember when it had started.

That, along with the stiff neck from sitting in the damn car all day and night, was indeed making him wish to get away from the noisy busy office for a couple of hours.

He nevertheless shook his head. It wouldn't be as noisy now that his agents had left for home.

"Can't force you," Vance shrugged with resignation. Before leaving, he however told Gibbs, "But bear in mind that I won't assign you to a new case, either."

Half an hour later, when Director Vance left his office, heading toward MTAC, he noticed with satisfaction that Gibbs apparently had left as well. The stack of paper-work was gone, too.

_**-x-**_

Before heading home, Gibbs had paid a visit to Abby's lab to bring her a double dose of CafPow! caffeine. She was already working on some evidence from another team that was running short of a lab tech.

"Hey Gibbs! Looks like I'm not painting my walls next week," Abby greeted him.

She had repeatedly complained about how she didn't like the lusterless black color of the walls in her apartment. It absolutely needed refreshing. Maybe she would even choose a color other than black. One day, Gibbs had had enough. He finally succeeded in talking her into taking a week off. Abby, however, had continuously managed to find excuses and postpone her holiday.

"Paint 'em!" Gibbs was determined to not let it happen again this time.

"Can't." Abby shrugged.

"Can't?" Gibbs raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Sue...," Abby started to explain. Sue was the lab-tech Abby was filling in for.

Gibbs cut her short by giving her his famous "Gibbs-stare", making Abby wince. This time, it obviously had turned out exactly the way it used to. She didn't get this stare very often, so she knew he was absolutely serious.

"You take next week off and paint your damn walls or I'm not setting foot in your lab ever again."

She didn't really believe that he would be able to carry out his threat on her, but with Gibbs one could never be sure.

"You look like you could use some sleep, Gibbs," Abby tried to change the subject. She knew he could go with little or no sleep for days. They were sort of alike in that way and it wasn't just because of the caffeine. Their job was keeping them awake. Yet - on seldom occasions - even _their_ systems called for a little rest.

He grinned back at her.

"I could give you an aroma-massage to relax from sitting in that car all night long for days. Or, 'all day long for nights'," Abby teased, enjoying her play on words. She loved to tease him all sorts of ways, but he always charmingly turned down her offers. It was just playful teasing. Neither of them was ever serious about it.

"See you Saturday night at eight," he said, kissing her cheek and leaving.

Saturday night was the night before Abby's birthday and the night of their annual ritual, when Gibbs would take Abby out for dinner. And he would take her out for dinner this Saturday night as well.

But for now, he would head home to spend the next hours reading through the reports. Afterwards, he would settle down in his basement, with a bottle of fine whiskey, to work on his boat.

For Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, working on his boat was tantamount to sleep.

So much for his plans...

_tbc__..._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Two chapters in one day? Don't get used to it ;-)_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**-x-**_

Gibbs had pulled together all his willpower so Abby wouldn't see he was not feeling well. It had worked, apparently, but it had been an energy consuming act. He was glad that Ducky had left for a conference pretty early that morning, so he did not have to deal with the good doctor.

What the hell was going on with him?

_**-x-**_

When he reached his house, Gibbs crawled out of his car, feeling like a ninety year old man. His back and neck hurt and walking the few yards toward the front door brought beads of sweat to his forehead. In addition to that, he was shivering. He couldn't believe he had turned on the heating in the car on his drive home.

After throwing the files on the dining table, he shuffled to the kitchen to make coffee before even thinking about taking off his coat. He doubted, that after all these days on stake-out, that there were things running through his veins other than caffeine. Hell, there was no way he could be tired. Yet he suddenly felt the need to lie down and sleep.

Sleep? At 10:30 in the morning?

Never!

Shivering with cold, he poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down at the table. Profuse sweating set in immediately. He kept sitting there for a while, his cold hands clinging onto the mug to warm them up. He didn't even feel like drinking it. His throat was sore and tickling, and in the end he couldn't fight the urge to cough.

_Damn._

There he was; a stack of paper reports on the table in front of him and a strangely unknown feeling of tiredness inside of him. Taking the first file and staring at the sheets, he tried to concentrate on the scribbling.

It led to yet another attacking headache and he ended up head in his hands.

After a while he realized that he was about to fall asleep, his eyes already having fallen shut minutes ago. His head was still pounding heavily and he barely managed to get off from the chair and take his shoes off. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He couldn't believe this was happening.

When he crawled under the sheets, pressing his face into the cool pillows, he couldn't exactly remember climbing up the stairs to his bedroom only seconds before.

Groaning loudly, he squeezed his eyes shut...

An hour later, Gibbs woke from a nightmare; shivering and bathed in a cold sweat. It took him ages to get up and head to the bathroom. On his way there, he left a trail of clothes. He stopped by the chest of drawers to take out a fresh shirt and boxers. Hands propped up on the chest of drawers, seeking support, he struggled for breath. His whole body was on fire, his skin hot and dry one moment, and then in the next he was freezing, shivering, and covered in sweat.

He changed into his fresh underwear, which he had never before experienced to be such a difficult task with each and every muscle hurting. Almost never. In fact, he had dealt with the flu once before, even though he used to maintain that he had _never_ had the flu. It would have been too embarrassing to admit that he had come down with the flu the year he had joined the Marines.

God, he didn't remember it felt this bad. And he knew this could be getting worse.

He had gone through hell back then. There had been no pity. Back then, he had sworn he would never come down with the flu again. Not ever. Sure, as a parent he occasionally had to put it up with a running nose, but bottom line was he had never been seriously ill for more than thirty years.

Before returning to his bed, he struggled to get a woollen blanket from the lowest drawer. Besides the fact that his sheets were much too thin to really warm him, they were soaked with sweat already. Bending down seemed to be an almost herculean task, which was accompanied by loud groaning and weak cursing.

On trembling legs, with what seemed to be his last ounce of strength, he shuffled back into bed. Curling up around a pillow, he hoped that more sleep would help avert the inevitable...

_**-x-**_

_**tbc...  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N 1:** Kelly, this is your prezzie, so if you like berry's idea about the massage, I'll see what can be done ;-)_

_**A/N 2:** I'm glad you all like this story so far. Let's see what happens when Gibbs doesn't pick up Abby for their pre-birthday dinner.  
_

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

Saturday evening, Abby was pacing her apartment.

"Come on, Gibbs. Come on, answer your phone." Sighing, Abby hung up and tossed her phone on the couch beside her. She bit her lip. This was so unlike Gibbs. She had even called Tony to make sure they weren't on a case; unexpectedly.

They were not. And Gibbs was late. Missing, to be precise. More than an hour ago, Abby had expected him to pick her up, but he still hadn't shown up. He would have called if he was going to be late or if a case had come up in the mean time. And there was no way he could have forgotten about their _'date'_. And why on earth didn't he answer his phone?

Abby refused to think that something had happened. But - what if? Feeling quite a bit uneasy, she finally left her apartment to drive over to Gibbs's house. Even on her drive, she tried to reach his cell or his home phone.

No answer.

When she drove up to Gibbs's house, she saw his car parked in front of it. This meant he _had_ to be at home. He would never go anywhere without it.

Frowning, Abby got out of her car and walked into the house. She opened the front door a crack and peered inside.

"Gibbs?" Her voice echoed through the entrance hall.

When she didn't get an answer, she entered.

A stack of files were lying on the living-room table, a mug of coffee sitting beside an open file. His coat was hanging over the back of a chair, thrown there carelessly.

"Gibbs?" Abby stepped into the kitchen and when she didn't find him there, she stuck her head through the next doorframe, expecting to find him downstairs in his basement.

Nada. Nothing.

She took her cell and dialed his number. She had almost expected to hear his phone ring from inside his coat. It did.

Brooding, she walked back into the living-room and sat down at the dining table. This was so unlike Gibbs - throwing his coat over a chair and leaving a mug full of hot steaming coffee behind.

Wait. Something wasn't right with this. Did she just say _'hot and steaming coffee?'_

Without realizing it at first, she had reached for the mug, only to find that it was neither hot nor steaming. It was ice-cold. In addition to that, it looked and smelled as if it had been standing there for a little bit more than just a couple of hours.

Abby was sure. Something must have happened. Her mind started racing. She better call Tony, Ziva, McGee... . If Gibbs had been abducted...

At that very moment she heard a noise, coming from upstairs.

The next moment it was gone and she wondered if it had actually happened. It had sounded like a muffled moan. More like a groan, actually.

A groan?

Gibbs!

"Gibbs?!" Abby jumped off the chair and hurried upstairs, the uneasy gut-wrenching feeling swelling with each step she took.

Worried about her silver fox, she did not hesitate to enter his bed-room, then the next instant she stopped dead in her tracks. Her cell phone, which she was still carrying with her, fell to the floor. Petrified, she stared at the gut-wrenching sight in front of her.

Gibbs was lying in his bed, shivering. Beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead.

"Gibbs," Abby whispered. Her voice broke, as a lump settled in her throat.

Never had she seen him like this before. She had seen him bruised. She had seen him injured. Badly injured. When she had seen him in a coma, she had been convinced it was the most heart-breaking thing she had ever seen.

Until today.

After the initial shock had passed, Abby hurried across the room to Gibbs's bed, reaching out for him with trembling hands. He moaned at her touch. He was running a high fever.

"Gibbs! Gibbs!" She tried to get through to him.

Being in a fevered delirium, he didn't react to her voice, but he leaned into her touch, subconsciously seeking her cool hand on his heated skin. The floor was spotted with shirts and the one he was wearing was soaked in sweat as well. As was his hair, the pillow, the blanket.

_**-x-**_

_**tbc...****  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: __I'm back from a one-week trip to Sardinia and ready to continue this story. It was a wonderful week, but on my flight back I caught a little cold... . Well, having a look at Gibbs, I'm glad it's not the flu ^-^_

_Here's the next installment._

_

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_**Chapter 4**_

_**-x-  
**_

Some time later, Abby had taken care of the most important things. She had replaced his blanket with those from the guest-bedroom and she had also somehow managed to change the sheets. She had changed his shirt and wiped the sweat from his skin.

She had even found a traditional thermometer in a drawer in his bathroom. She had never expected him to have one, but she was glad he did.

Almost 104°F. Abby took a sharp breath. She hoped he hadn't been running this fever for too long. She had last seen him on Thursday morning and he had looked fine.

Fine? No. Not really. If she remembered right, he had looked tired. Worn out. He had tried not to let her see it, but she had. Maybe it had been worse already. She had put it down to the 10 day long stake-out though. Besides, no-one would have thought it possible that Gibbs would be the one to catch the flu.

Abby took up residence at Gibbs's bedside, dabbing his forehead with a cool cloth, moistening his lips and praying for the fever to break.

While sitting there, surrounded by the darkness of the night, with only a small lamplight from the chest of drawers breaking the heavy darkness, Abby started trembling. Although it had gotten warmer outside the past two days, it still was quite cold indoors; especially inside Gibbs's house, since he didn't have an electric heater. He had given his to Abby years ago; he had said he didn't need it. He still had his fireplace though, and he had actually made use of it a couple of times this past winter.

_**-x-**_

It was late at night already, when Abby dialed Tony's number.

"Huh?" Tony didn't sound delighted, fearing this call was about an upcoming case which would end his weekend too early.

"Tony," Abby nervously spoke up, ignoring his exaggerated yawning. "Gibbs is ill and I need you to fetch my electric heater from my apartment and bring it over..."

"Whoa... wait! What did you say?" Tony was suddenly wide awake.

"I said, I need you to fetch my electric heater and bring it over to Gibbs's place."

"No, no, no. Before that." He needed to hear it again.

"Tony! Move your ...," Abby suppressed a curse, knowing Tony had well understood her. She even wished it hadn't been necessary to call Tony, but she was by no means going to leave Gibbs alone.

_**-x-**_

"Is he really ... _sick_?!" Tony incredulously asked, after Abby had opened the door. "I have to see that!" He tried to push past her.

"No way!" Abby blocked his path. No, never would she let any of the others see their bossman being ill.

"Come on, Abby," Tony kept begging.

But Abby didn't allow him to enter. Pointing outside determinedly, her door keys dangling from her forefinger, she silently ordered him to leave and do what she had asked him to do.

Disappointed, Tony eventually gave up

Abby hurried back to Gibbs's bedroom to find that he was lying uncovered again, tossing and turning in a feverish dream. Abby renewed the cooling compresses and was relieved to see Gibbs calm down a little within a couple of minutes. His breathing was shallow now, but even.

Then she heard rumblings from down in the hall.

Tony.

Leaving Gibbs's side, she got out of the room to find Tony carrying the heater upstairs. Abby cautiously closed the door behind her. She staid standing in front of it, back pressed up against the door like a guard, protecting what was behind it.

"Thanks, Tony,"

Tony noticed the sad and worried expression on her face and felt for her. He was deeply regretting his previous poor behavior. Abby and Gibbs -- that was something special; something, no-one really was ever able to understand.

"How's he doing?" Tony carefully asked.

"He's got the flu, Tony." Abby spoke in a very low voice, which showed her sorrow even more clearly. But she didn't want to tell him how bad it really was.

"Ewww!" Tony automatically backed away a step. If a flu-thing had managed to enter Gibbs's insusceptible system, it had to be a _very_ nasty bug.

"You better leave now." She looked as if she needed to be hugged, but he didn't try to step closer again, knowing she wouldn't let him.

Nodding, Tony started to leave. He took a step downstairs, then turned around once more. He had noticed her black and blue evening dress and remembered it was her birthday. He knew, Gibbs used to take her out the night before. He probably had not told her he was feeling sick.

"Happy birthday, Abby."

"Thanks." Abby nodded, biting her lip.

It was way past midnight already.

_**-x-**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:** Thanks for your reviews :-) Of course Abby would want Ducky to look after Gibbs, but... I sent him to this conference. I originally had Abby call him, then I removed that part, sent the chapter for proof-reading and now that you mentioned it, I put it back in again. _

_Thanks to my beta doomprincess1 for proof-reading the chapter twice ;-)  
_

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_**Chapter 5**_

_**-x-**_

After installing the heater, Abby sat back down on Gibbs's bed. She wished she could have asked Ducky to come see after Jethro, but the doctor wouldn't return from this conference before Wednesday. And Sunday wasn't even dawning yet...

Abby kept sitting at Gibbs's bedside throughout the night to take care of her silver fox. But instead of going down, his fever spiked again in the morning. Knowing, this wasn't a good sign at all, Abby decided she better call a doctor. She had hoped this would not have been necessary; Gibbs would not have allowed it if he had been able.

But he wasn't. And Abby was extremely worried about his condition. Chances were, the fever had started three days ago. It was currently much too high and he was barely responsive.

She called Ducky, who certainly was too far away to come over and have a look at Gibbs, but -- although concerned about Jethro as well -- he was able to calm Abby down a bit and give her the number of a colleague, Dr. Brown.

_**-x-**_

While examining him, Dr. Brown had a very serious expression on her face. She didn't like the rasping noise in his lungs. It wasn't a pneumonia yet, but it could develop into one pretty fast. Moreover there were signs of an inflammation of the middle ear.

The doctor administered an antipyretic and antibiotics. She also prescribed pain meds and antibiotics to fight the beginnings of the otitis media. Apart from that, she told Abby to continue with the cold wraps as there wasn't any other proper way to treat the flu itself. Rest; and time and patience were useful company as well.

Unfortunately, 'rest and time and patience' were company which Gibbs wasn't necessarily a good friend of. Maybe, Abby wondered, she should ask for some sleeping pills as well, to keep him from getting grumpy.

"Sorry Gibbs," Abby whispered, when Dr. Brown had left. She felt extremely guilty, blaming herself for not having called the doctor earlier. Gibbs would most likely be improving already.

She went downstairs and made herself some coffee. She left the prescription on the table and called Tony again to ask him to get the prescribed medication from the pharmacy. He didn't come upstairs this time but left them on the living-room table and called her back. When Abby went to fetch the meds, she found some take-away food there as well. Tony had brought her favorite vegetarian wrap. She smiled, but she didn't feel like eating anything, so she put it in the fridge instead.

_**-x-**_

The day dragged on and Abby continued to make wet packs and dab Gibbs's forehead and temples with a cool cloth. She changed his shirt again and ran the cool cloth over his heated skin.

Friends and colleagues sent text messages to say 'Happy Birthday', but Abby rarely cracked a smile at them. Some tried to call, but she didn't answer her phone and eventually turned it off. Her birthday simply wasn't a birthday when Gibbs wasn't there to make her smile.

When Dr. Brown visited again that evening, his fever still hadn't gone down, but it hadn't spiked up again either. Also, he still hadn't come around. The physician gave him another shot of antipyretics. If he didn't respond to them soon, Abby's silver-haired fox was on the verge of being admitted to hospital.

Before leaving, Dr. Brown turned to Abby.

"Abby, you should get some rest, too," she suggested. She had noticed that Abby was still wearing the evening dress which she had been wearing that morning and had obviously worn from the previous night as well. "The fever is making him exhausted and the meds will let him sleep for a while. I'm confident that during the next few hours the fever is going to drop below 104 and stay that way."

Dr. Brown promised to visit again the next morning. She wasn't as confident as she wanted to make Abby believe. Moreover, 104 was still too high.

Before Abby went upstairs, she poured herself another cup of coffee. Maybe the doc was right and she should get some sleep. Yes, she was tired, but what if Gibbs woke up while she was asleep?

Abby sat down in the chair at Gibbs's bedside and sipped at her coffee. It didn't help, though, and Abby felt it probably wasn't such a good idea to have no sleep at all. She could catch his infection and get ill as well. So far she hadn't, but this was possibly due to the fact that she had dealt with the flu herself early that winter.

When Abby had finally accepted that it was okay to take a nap, she curled up on the far side of Gibbs's bed after quarrelling with herself if she actually had the right to. Taking care of him like she currently did, was one side of the story. Lying down beside him, in his bed, was probably a bit of a stretch.

But she was by no means willing to leave him alone. She could have layed down in the guest bedroom across the hall, but she most likely would not notice if he woke up or slipped into another febrile delirium -- something which she prayed was _not_ going to happen.

Neither happened, and when Abby woke up, a good six hours had passed and it was past midnight again. First she jerked up, feeling sorry for having fallen asleep for so long and afraid that she had missed a possible aggravation of his condition. She sighed with relief when she noticed that he was sound asleep.

She slipped out of his bed, eradicating any signs that might have shown she had been lying there. Taking his temperature, she found that it had gone down a great deal. It had even fallen below 103°F.

After making sure that Gibbs was still comfortable, Abby went downstairs to make tea. Gibbs always kept a package for her. Now that most of the tension had fallen from her, she realized that she was hungry and remembered the wrap Tony had brought the previous day. She only took a small bite before heading back upstairs, with a thermos of herbal tea, to settle at Gibbs's bedside again.

Abby felt miserable. Things were so much worse at night. Would the fever spike up again or had it finally broken?

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Abby was deep in thoughts, staring into darkness, when she suddenly noticed his breathing was becoming irregular and laboured.

_**-x-**_

_**tbc...  
**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Here's another chapter ... and another cliff ;-P Oh how I love writing them ;-)_**

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_**Chapter 6**_

_**-x-**_

He felt awful.

It took him a while to realize that he was in some indefinable state between being asleep and being awake. At first he thought the dullness was the result of a bottle of whiskey emptied the previous night down in his basement.

Remembrance came slowly. His aching body, stiff neck and hurting shoulders, as well as the scratchy throat brought back memories of the nasty flu that had threatened to overpower him.

And apparently, it had managed to. His mouth was dry. Breathing was strenuous. He weakly remembered how it had started out. The headache, the aching muscles, the profuse sweating ... which he felt approaching again.

Exhausted, he was starting to loose track of his thoughts and slip back to sleep again, when he felt he was not alone. Someone was there. Near him. He put all his effort into opening his eyes. It felt like running a marathon, leaving him gasping for air.

The room was only weakly lit, and although he had a hard time focusing, he knew it was Abby, sitting on the edge of his bed. Something told him, she had been sitting there for more than a few minutes.

Speaking turned out to be an unusually difficult task, unfeasible even, which let his breathing become irregular and laboured.

_**-x-**_

Jerking out of her reverie, Abby turned her attention to Gibbs. The wheezing noise he produced didn't sound too good at all.

"Gibbs," she breathed, her shoulders relaxing from all the tension she had been holding while waiting for Gibbs to wake up.

He was looking at her through heavy eye-lids. His fingers were weakly tugging at the fabric of her dress. Up to that very point, she had been oblivious to the fact that she was still wearing it.

Abby was so happy to finally see him awake, that she felt like hugging him, but figured this probably wasn't such a good idea. Instead, she smiled at him, cocking her head and whispering a relieved, "Hey."

Gibbs took three or four exerted breaths.

"Hey," he croaked.

His throat was sore. He closed his eyes and unsuccessfully tried to swallow. His attempt to clear his throat led to a painful and exhausting coughing fit. Abby helped him sit up and when he stopped coughing, she gave him some water to sip and handed him the pain medication.

He looked at her questioningly.

"Pain meds," Abby told him.

Gibbs showed weak signs of protest, which Abby instantly cut short by gently asking him to "Take 'em. Please?"

He did. How could he deny his Abbs a wish? Moreover, this felt worse than any hang-over he had ever had and he just wanted this horrible ache to go away. Exhausted, he sank back into his pillow. He curled up under his blanket, slowly rolling over to lie on his side. Groaning in pain, he buried his heated face in a cool corner of the pillow.

Abby pulled up the blanket over his shoulders carefully. She thought he had fallen asleep again, but after a couple of minutes her pitiable silver fox opened his eyes again.

"Our ... dinner...," Gibbs whispered, scarcely audible.

"Oh; we had to cancel," Abby cleared him up. She could see it cost him great efforts to speak.

"We ... did?" he mumbled. His eyes had already fallen shut again.

"Well, Saturday didn't seem like such a good day for you." Abby took the cloth out of the bowl of cool water, wrung it out and carefully laid it on his forehead.

Sighing at the pleasant cool sensation on his forehead, Gibbs tried to process her words and slowly managed to half-way connect them to her wearing an evening dress. Assuming, it had to be in the middle of the night on Sunday morning - when it actually was early Monday morning already - he mumbled, "Many ... 'turns," before loosing his fight against the fatigue and drifting back off to sleep.

A small smile washed over Abby's face. Gibbs had finally come around. She hoped he was reasonable when he was coherent again, and did not get unpleasantly cranky once the exhaustion had subsided.

_**-x-**_

Hours later, when Gibbs woke up again, his weary gaze fell upon his alarm clock.

10.30 a.m.

_Damn!_ He would be late for work. He had felt pretty bad the day before, and he had gone straight to bed instead of working through the files he had brought. _Sleep will help me get over it,_ he had thought as he had dragged himself upstairs. He still felt incredibly bad, and even though Vance had told him not to come in on Friday, he had to get up.

One Leroy Jethro Gibbs never stays at home without a reason.

The past days were all fuzzy in his mind. In fact, he believed it had been some sort of a weird dream.

Slowly, he heaved himself out of bed, his feet dangling in the air for long moments at first, before he found the strength to sit up.

_**-x-**_

Abby had stayed at Gibbs's bedside most of the time. In the morning she had called Vance to tell him that Gibbs was sick with the flu. Later she had gone downstairs to make fresh tea. Nibbling on a piece of toast, she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Sheesh! Abby! You gotta get changed!" She chastised herself. She had wanted to change into a pair of sweats and a shirt she could borrow from Gibbs, the previous evening, but then her own exhaustion had overwhelmed her...

She heard coughing and moaning from Gibbs's bedroom and hurried upstairs.

_**-x-**_

"Gibbs! What are you doing?" Abby exclaimed as she found him sitting shakily on the edge of his bed.

"Head," he told her as he gathered his strength to get up.

Sure. She hadn't thought about that, some how.

"O-kaaay. Let me help you ... ummm ... get there." He hadn't been up for days, so she was determined to stay near to support him.

"And go to work," he added in a raspy voice that threatened to fail.

"_What?_" Abby doubted he would even make it to the bathroom and he seriously thought he was able to go to work?

"You are not." She stated.

"Yes I ... am." He coughed. Wheezing, he dragged himself over to the bathroom and for a couple of minutes Abby heard noises from within. Then everything went silent.

"Gibbs?" concerned, Abby nervously knocked on the bathroom door. "Gibbs, you okay?"

_**tbc**_...


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews. I love them :-D and I really enjoy writing this fic a lot :-)_**

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

_**-x-**_

He hadn't expected his strength to deteriorate so quickly, once he had managed to rise from his bed. Getting back there seemed to be an impossible thing to do. Before his shaky legs threatened to deny their support, he managed to sit down on the edge of the bathtub. He leaned sideways, letting his temple rest against the cool tiles on the wall.

He had to admit to himself that there was no way he would make it under the shower, not to mention get to work somehow. Still dizzy, he also started to realize that what he had believed to have been a dream had been utterly real.

_**-x-**_

"Gibbs!" Again, Abby knocked on the door, worry lying in her voice.

Aside from an exhausted gnarling, there was no answer. Not hesitating any longer, Abby opened the door and entered the bathroom finding Gibbs wheezing exhaustedly and bathed in sweat.

"Gosh, you belong back to bed, Gibbs. Let me help you wash and change."

Help him change? Gibbs glared at her as intensely as possible under the given circumstances, which wasn't much, but enough for Abby to recognize.

"Oh come on, Gibbs! Who do you think changed your shirts and washed you the past days?"

Days? Well, she had a point, there. He knew it, somehow, but it was something he did not want to think about it. Not now, nor any time else. Neither did she. She would never hesitate to do it again, but it was a completely different thing now that he was aware of it.

It was sort of embarrassing for both of them. But in the end, Gibbs was glad she had come over to look after him. He was glad it had been her, not one of the others.

Abby quickly washed his heated skin while Gibbs started shivering with fever again, then she helped him put on a new shirt. He needed to get tucked into bed again soon.

"Let me help you get back to bed." Abby instantly grabbed his arm as he tried to stand up on his own. Growling, Gibbs let her steady him as they walked back to his bed.

Abby arranged the pillows so that he could rest in a half-sitting position.

"You are to take your meds, Gibbs."

Another growl told her he did not agree with that. But she kept holding the prescribed medication - pain killers, antibiotics and antipyretics - right in front of him. As if this wasn't unpleasant enough already, she started biting her lip, shifting in her chair uncomfortably.

Gibbs's eyes bore into her, knowing she was - well, not exactly trying to hide something, but not eager to reveal something unpleasant, either. He started to understand that she struggled with telling him that a doctor was involved as well. One cannot buy these meds in a supermarket.

She first didn't know how to, but eventually the tension to try to hide her utter worries became too much and the words just blurted out of her.

"You were running a high fever when I found you Saturday night. I tried everything to make it go down, but it wouldn't. And you wouldn't wake up and the fever would spike up and I would have asked Ducky to see you, but he won't return from this conference until the day after tomorrow and ..."

Moaning, Gibbs squeezed his eyes shut, wishing Abby would stop babbling.

It worked, and Abby swallowed down the confession still due, that Dr. Brown - a female physician on top of that - was going to visit again in the afternoon.

Gibbs swallowed his meds and leaned back into the pillows; exhausted.

"Let me know if you need something," Abby softly said. "I'll be around."

"Thirsty." Gibbs's voice was low, almost inaudible and he kept his eyes shut.

Abby gave him another glass of water to drink, holding the glass while Gibbs took large sips. She then tucked him into bed with plenty of blankets.

Gibbs nodded weakly, wishing she would let her hand rest on his shoulders or - preferably - his forehead for a while, to make the pounding headache more bearable.

Slowly, Abby removed her hand, wishing there was more she could do to make him feel better. She watched him relax bit by bit as the meds took effect, letting him finally drift off to sleep.

Abby waited for another ten minutes, then she went to the bathroom to take a quick shower and dress into something comfortable.

_**-x-**_

During the next three days, Gibbs didn't do much else but sleep. Much to Abby's surprise, he didn't complain a lot about Dr. Brown's visit. He only looked at her suspiciously and refused to talk to her, but he patiently let her examine him.

Abby was afraid he would be mad at her and he indeed acted grumpy for the rest of the day, glancing at her sourly as she offered him a bowl of soup. He wasn't really mad at her; he just didn't know how to handle this whole letting-her-care-for-him, when it usually was _him_ taking care of _her_.

Ducky visited on Wednesday afternoon, as soon as he was back in town. Seeing Gibbs's aloofness and knowing Abby still felt guilty about calling a doctor other than Dr. Mallard - despite the fact that he had not been able to come by anyway -, Ducky firmly told Gibbs that Abby had called him - worried - and that he himself had recommended calling Dr. Brown.

"I know," Gibbs grumbled and Ducky decided that his stubbornness was simply a side-effect of his being sick. It would go away once he started to feel better.

Before leaving, Dr. Mallard gave Gibbs well-intentioned advice.

"Oh, by the way, you better do not even _start thinking_ about returning to work next week, Jethro."

Gibbs looked at him questioningly. He of course was bound and determined to be back on Monday.

"You might think you are feeling better already..." Ducky tried to explain, but he was cut short immediately.

"I _do_ feel better already, Duck," Gibbs insisted, but it was far from sounding convincing, with a barely there raspy voice and gasping for air when his stubborn protest had triggered a nasty coughing fit.

"Yeah, I can see _that_." Ducky stayed calm; the only way to make Gibbs reconsider his plans.

_**-x-**_

_**tbc**_...


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: __Thanks for all the nice review. I can't deny they have a certain effect on this storyline... _

_A bath? Why not? Your wish is my command ;-)

* * *

_

_**Chapter 8**_

"Don't let him annoy you, Abigail," Dr. Mallard suggested when he was leaving. "And if he does, then just leave him alone for awhile."

No, she could never leave him alone in this current situation and it would take a lot for him to really annoy her.

_**-x-**_

At nights, Abby would sneak to lie down on the far side of Gibbs bed, thinking, _for a few minutes only_, _to make sure he is comfortable_. Watching him sleep, she listened to his breathing, which was more even, now that he wasn't highly feverish anymore. After a couple of minutes she would then continue to sit in the chair beside his bed, reading and drinking coffee or tea. Only when she had been awake for much too long, she would take a nap, lying down on the yoga mat Ziva had brought along with her over-night bag Abby kept at her lab.

On one occasion or two however, she had startled awake, finding she had fallen asleep in bed beside Gibbs. One occasion had been particularly embarrassing for her:

On Thursday, Abby had managed to convince him that taking a bath was much better and less taxing for his circulation than having a shower. She prepared it for him, even as he glared at her when she didn't leave the bathroom instantaneously.

"Okay, okay," she grinned and couldn't help teasing him a little. "I'll be waiting right behind that door; just in case you want me to wash your back."

He would have been one lucky man to simply be able to say 'yes'. But it was just teasing. Nothing serious. That was how they both were looking at it, weren't they? Yet, they both enjoyed walking that invisible and admittedly dangerous line.

"Thank you." He smiled at her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He wouldn't call her, but it was good to know she was around.

Sighing, he let his aching body immerse in the warm water. He closed his eyes, and bit by bit he managed to carefully draw deeper breaths. Abby had added just the right amount of eucalyptus essence to the water. He found himself reminded of her aroma-massage offer, and he wondered if he should have agreed to it and if it would have changed the outcome of this nasty illness. Since then, one week had passed already. He was starting to feel better now, but the fever had really worn him out.

Later, when he tried to stretch out in bed a little, he found that his muscles didn't hurt as much anymore and the pressure on his forehead was almost gone. Sleep came fast and on Friday morning, Gibbs woke from a restful, quiet slumber. He immediately noticed that he continued to feel ... different; tired still, but a lot better than he remembered having felt the previous days. Relaxed, even.

The day was dawning already and like two or three times before, he found that the chair, Abby had been sitting in for days, was empty. She had been around and there for him practically whenever he had woken up. Except for...

He turned his head and a smile washed over his face. Like the previous night and the night before, he found her lying on the far side of his bed; curled up, uncovered and sound asleep.

It took him some effort to turn around and reach for the woollen blanket lying at her feet and gently cover her up. He was only just about to cover her shoulders, when Abby suddenly jerked awake.

Still drowsy, Abby was unable to back away. It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen asleep beside him again, and she was feeling extremely awkward that he had caught her asleep in his bed.

His hand was resting on top of hers, clasping it even, and ready to hold her back, should she think about jumping up. She failed to read the way he was looking at her.

"I'm ... sorry." Stammering her excuses, Abby tried to pull her hand away and get up.

But Gibbs held her hand a little tighter and slowly shook his head.

"Sleep," he whispered. "It's okay," he reassured her, nodding his consent.

His eyes were falling shut, but he fought to stay awake waiting for her to close her eyes before he went back to sleep as well.

She looked beautiful and he didn't mind at all that she had sneaked into bed beside him. He actually regretted that it wasn't going to happen any more, now that she knew that he had caught her lying in his bed. She just didn't know that he had found her lying there twice before...

_**-x-**_

With eyes closed, Abby had waited for Gibbs to nod off again. Her heart was pounding heavily and it seemed to take an incredibly long while until she eventually dared to remove her hand very carefully and slowly.

She felt like crying. This was _so_ not meant to happen. Ever!

_**-x-**_

When Gibbs woke up a few hours later, there was nothing to give away that Abby had ever been lying next to him. Everything was silent. At first he thought she might be downstairs, but after a couple of minutes, there still was no sound to be heard.

His look fell upon a handwritten note that was leaning against the thermos on his nightstand. Frowning, he reached for the small sheet of paper. Sitting up in bed, he read the lines Abby had put there...

_Tbc..._

_A/N: Small cliffie here, BIG cliff ahead... _

_What's going to happen next?_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**** I'm sorry! This took me a little longer than I expected. It also turned out a little longer, but I didn't want to end this chapter in any other way than it does... and I can reassure you, I won't let you wait for the next chapter this long again. Hope you enjoy**__** ;-)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 9**_

_**-x-**_

_I'm taking care of my apartment_

_Tea in here's fresh_

_Abby_

Sighing, Gibbs understood that Abby was, all too soon, leaving his house for good. She had spent almost all of her holiday taking care of _him_ instead of painting her apartment. He wondered if Abby's disappearance had anything to do with what had happened earlier that morning.

He took the thermos from the nightstand and poured himself some of Abby's tea. Abby had shared her tea a lot with him these past days. He had found it to be pleasantly soothing, calming his sore throat. He had never cared much for that herbal stuff, but strangely enough, thinking of coffee still made him gag.

Later, Gibbs tried to take a nap, but he couldn't. He wasn't tired. And he was bored. And hungry. Abby had not left word on her note stating when - or whether at all - she would return, so he decided it was a good idea to go downstairs on his own and look for something to eat.

Wrapped in his robe, Gibbs went to the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he wasn't sure anymore if he was really hungry, so in the end he settled for a simple slice of buttered toast.

A couple of minutes after he sat down at the table he heard the front door opening and Abby entering quietly, trying to not make too much noise. She probably thought, he was asleep. She walked into the kitchen and upon seeing him, she almost dropped the bag she had with her.

"Oh! Hi Gibbs," Abby stammered; startled by finding him sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hi!" he said, munching on his piece of toast as he watched her. She looked worn, and tired.

"Aren't you supposed to stay in bed?" Abby asked.

"Got bored," Gibbs told her, still chewing leisurely.

"I brought us pasta and chicken salad," Abby told him. She thought Gibbs might be up to something more filling than soup and tea.

Pasta and chicken salad sounded good, but Gibbs wasn't hungry for it. For the time being, toast was fine with him and he wasn't hungry anymore. So he just motioned to his toast and shook his head no. "Later, maybe," he told her.

So Abby put the take-away food in the fridge and grabbed a toast as well. While they ate in silence, Gibbs concentrated on watching Abby, who didn't dare to look at him. She still felt uneasy about him having found her taking a nap beside him. In _his_ bed.

Gibbs could easily read her.

"Hey!" He felt the need to break this awkward silence and let her know that there was nothing she needed to worry about. He had let her sleep in his bed before, when the only place she felt safe had been his house - when Mikel Mawher or some other lunatic had been after her, for example, though he had always taken the couch then.

Reluctantly, Abby looked up at him, biting her lip.

He hoped he could do without words, but since she remained tense, he told her, "I told you, it's okay. Would have preferred the bed to this mat, too," he added, grinning, and Abby couldn't help but smile as well.

Before Abby left to continue painting her apartment, she got Gibbs's bedding from upstairs on to the couch, since he refused to go back to bed. He spent the afternoon on the couch, flipping through some tv news magazines, and he eventually even went through one of the report files which he had brought home with him the week before. But this brought back the pounding headache, so when Abby returned in the evening, she found him sleeping, lying on his back, bespectacled, the open file lying on his chest.

_**-x-**_

They had dinner together - pasta and chicken salad. Afterwards they settled on the couch to watch horror movies Abby had brought along. A couple of years back she had installed a DVD-player at his place. He would not let her put it in his basement, so he had moved his TV-set to his living-room.

Abby made herself comfortable beside him. She had worried a lot that last night's incident would have badly impacted their friendship. This, along with the lack of sleep, plus having spent the whole day on renovation, let Abby doze off time and time again.

Half way through the second movie, Gibbs noticed that Abby was sound asleep. He kissed her hair and whispered her name, but Abby only snuggled closer against him, so he chose not to wake her up. Sighing, Gibbs covered her with a blanket and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He leaned in and gently kissed her temple. Then he closed his eyes as well to try and get some sleep...

... dreamless at first, then bugged by some scary horror-movie scenarios before finally some more pleasant pictures filled his dreams...

_**-x-**_

_He felt the pleasant warmth of the female body shift on top of him, snuggling closer to his chest, purring. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and - keeping his __eyes closed - he turned toward her to breathe a kiss into her __ambrosial seeming__ hair._

_Her features became visible before his inner mind's eye. Pale, soft skin, dark lips; her jet black hair that she used to wear in pigtails, was unbound and dishevelled._

_He knew it was a dream. Yet, it felt so amazingly real. _

_Dreams like this had been embarrassing in the beginning. When he had first realized that he dreamed of Abby being more than just the friend she was, it had felt like treachery. But he had decided to keep it to himself and revel in these dreams whenever and however intense they were coming._

_He let his hand slip underneath her shirt to caress the bare skin of her lower back._

_She followed suit, copying his action. Her hand slipped underneath his shirt as well, sneaking up his chest. She stretched, then curled up - lying half on top of him -, letting her fingers run through his silver chest hair. Low murmuring encouraged him not to stop his caressing._

_His lips wandered over her temple, her cheek, then nibbled at her earlobe._

_She moaned softly and shifted again, to give him better access, her knee brushing over a very sensitive region at the juncture of his legs._

_He moaned his pleasure and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. It fit perfectly. _

_Groaning, his lips sought out the warm pulsing spot on her neck._

_With a low, drawn-out moan, she offered__ her neck, relishing the rough texture of his lips on her velvet-like skin._

_He let his fingers wander over the enticing frame of her body._

_Then their lips met. _

_Their tongues touched. _

_She shifted once again and then she was hovering above him..._

**

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**

**To. Be. Continued...**

_A/N: Curious about what you are thinking ;-)_**_  
_**


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I see, you are enjoying this :-) Let's try to clear things up a little... or not. Did Abby notice anything?_

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

He blinked. Emerald green eyes were staring at him; beautiful and shocked. The pale skin of Abby's face was framed by her long black tousled hair. Trembling with agitation, he didn't even _try_ to fight the coughing fit caused by his labored breathing.

When the coughing had eased down again, he felt Abby's palm lying on his forehead. Cool. Pleasant and yet unpleasant. Welcomed and unwanted at the same time.

She was crouching beside the couch. Did she notice anything? Did he moan? Had he spoken in his sleep? His breathing still was unsteady and he was noticeably aroused. She _had_ to have noticed something.

"You are feverish again," she whispered. Her voice was thin and shaky.

He didn't dare to look at her. It had been the most vivid dream he had ever had about her. This time, however, it had happened to be very intense at the very wrong time.

Groaning, Gibbs propped up his leg, bending his knee, to try to hide his aching hard member from Abby's view. Backing away from her touch, he turned his face away from her. He had difficulties shaking away the pictures that were still buzzing around in his head.

Moving her hand from his forehead, Abby stood up. With a sad look on her face and fighting back tears, she went into the kitchen to get a cool cloth for him.

Writhing in anguish, Gibbs turned to lie on his side, facing away from the room and burying his face in his pillow. He still felt shaky with arousal. Damn, this had only been a dream, but it had simply come around at a very wrong time. Gibbs tried to grab hold of a coherent thought, but his vision blurred and he closed his eyes, swallowing hard and fighting against his racing pulse.

Before Abby returned with a cool cloth, that she thoughtfully ran over his neck and forehead, he had drifted off to sleep again; a welcomed distraction from an otherwise pleasurable way of waking up. But since he had fallen asleep on the couch, this upcoming day was already doomed. Days like this, when he had fallen asleep on the couch the previous night, _always_ used to end up miserably.

And sure enough the day turned out strange.

_**-x-**_

Gibbs woke to bright daylight, feeling exhausted. He remembered having woken up on the couch earlier, when it still had been dark, with Abby staring at him and telling him, he was running a fever again. He didn't doubt that his skin had been heated. It felt as if it still was. Maybe she had been right; maybe he _had_ suffered a relapse.

He got up and shuffled to the kitchen. His muscles were hurting again.

Abby was standing at the counter, pouring a mug of coffee. When she turned around, to walk over to the kitchen table, she was so startled seeing him standing in the door frame, that she dropped the mug full with coffee.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, watching as Abby cleaned up the mess. She hadn't expected him to wake up so soon.

"Hey, you okay?" Gibbs asked with a raspy voice.

"Yeah." Her answer came all too quick. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why ... why are you asking?" She tried to sound as if nothing had happened. But her nervousness was all too obvious.

"You're jumpy." He slowly dragged himself across the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table.

"You were sneaking up on me." Nervously, Abby was looking for excuses.

"You didn't get much sleep recently," Gibbs croaked back carefully.

"I did sleep well, last night. In fact it was the best sleep I've had in days," Abby told him, while avoiding looking at him. She quickly turned around, hiding her face from him deliberately. "Want me to make you coffee?" she changed the subject.

Coffee? Gibbs drew a face.

"Share your tea with me?" he asked.

He had decided to not mention last night's incident. Even if nothing had given away that it had been Abby he had been dreaming about - and unfortunately he couldn't even be completely sure about that count of indictment - she obviously had picked up enough of it to feel uncomfortable.

He couldn't blame her. He hoped that if he never addressed it, if he simply sat it out, it would not affect their friendship.

And Abby? Abby had made a decision as well. Should her silver-haired fox ever address what had happened last night, she'd deny it.

He had. Been running. A fever!

_Tbc.._


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: _Hi all! It's been a long time since I last posted a chapter to any of my ongoing stories. I somehow lost track of my muse somewhere between my holidays in Sardinia in May and Devon and Cornwall in August last year. Well, she finally decided to end her holiday and I hope she stays with me a little longer now. There are so many unfinished stories and at least two new ones that want to be written...

I don't blame anyone for not continuing to read this, because it's been too long. But of course you make me happy by sticking around. Thanks also to my beta who is proof-reading the remaining chapters, so you won't have to wait too long for the story to get finished.

_**Chapter 11**_

They ate in what to both felt like an awkward silence. Neither of them were sure the other felt awkward about the same thing, but in some way they were.

The more he thought about it, the more Gibbs was sure that Abby had noticed his 'agitation', his arousal, at least; maybe he had even whispered her name. He felt deeply embarrassed about it. Too embarrassed to even say that he was sorry.

She most likely hated him for that. How could he betray their friendship like that?

Abby however _knew_ that much more had happened. He had kissed her, had caressed her. Not only had she 'noticed' his agitation, she had undoubtedly been able to _feel _it. And yet, she could not be sure if Gibbs was really feeling that way or if it had only happened because of the fever. If the latter was the case, the best she could do was to keep silent about it.

Unfortunately, last night's incident had heightened her desires that had been there for some time already and diminished her hopes that they would go away at any point.

Soon after they had had breakfast, Abby mumbled her excuses before she left to take care of her apartment. She couldn't get her thoughts off of what had happened, and her sadness grew as she realized that if Gibbs didn't remember it, she would never be able to tell him and she would never know if he loved her or not.

Having reached her apartment, Abby sat down on her bed and started reflecting over her seemingly baleful situation.

_**-x-**_

Gibbs didn't feel too well. He dragged himself upstairs to the bathroom. He took a shower, but it didn't help and in fact his system didn't react too well to it.

When Abby returned later that day, she found him looking dull and sleepy.

He noticed her flushed cheeks and red eyes. This increased his thoughts and opinion that Abby was deeply disappointed and feeling abused. He wasn't hungry, and soon after having taken some aspirin, he fell asleep.

Abby decided to stay for a while until - in the middle of the night - she eventually snuck out.

_**-x-**_

Abby didn't show up the next day and she didn't come by to say 'hello' the day after. Physically, Gibbs was feeling better and better each day, but emotionally, Abby was being sorely missing.

When Abby returned to work again on Monday, the past days had been especially hard for her and so were the ones that were to come. She felt like crying all the time, but she had to hide it, which wasn't easy. Makeup to some degree was able to hide the dark rings under her eyes, but there was no way she could mask that they were bloodshot as well. Everyone seemed to notice, but for some reason, they assumed that it was caused by sleep deprivation from taking care of their boss.

Since she didn't want to be at home, Abby stayed for double shifts, which didn't make things any easier.

She wanted to know how he was doing, but she didn't dare to visit him to find out. Ducky had told her that he had eventually been able to convince Gibbs to stay away from work for the whole week. With Gibbs, however, one could never be sure. Ducky said something seemed to be depressing him.

Abby felt torn between wanting to visit him and waiting until a confrontation was unavoidable.

Wednesday night, she couldn't bear it any longer. In the middle of the night, she went to his house...

_Tbc...soon  
_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N:_ Wow. It's great to see so many of you still following and having fun :)

_**Chapter 12**___

Wednesday night, Gibbs felt well enough to spend the night down in his basement, doing some wood-work. Around 1a.m. he heard the front door being opened. He listened to the cautious footsteps above. Someone carefully snuck across his living-room, then entered the kitchen. Then the footsteps stopped abruptly.

When Abby had arrived at Gibbs's house, she suddenly thought that it probably wasn't such a good idea to go inside. But since the house was dark, and she had a bag full of groceries for him with her, she decided to silently slip inside, leave the bag on his kitchen-table and head home again.

She had managed to make it to the kitchen without a sound, when all of a sudden she realized the dim light coming from downstairs.

Unmoving, Gibbs stared towards the door at the top of the stairs that led directly into his kitchen. He knew it was her. He could feel the hesitation when Abby realized that he was there, downstairs.

_**-x-**_

He was there. Down there in his basement he was. How come she hadn't considered that!

Abby knew that all she needed to do was take a few steps forward and say 'Hi'. A mere four or five steps.

She couldn't.

Slowly, taking care to make as little noise as possible, she put the bag on the table and snuck out. _You could as well have run away as fast as possible,_ she told herself on her way out. _If he is down there in his basement, there is no way he hasn't heard you already._

Later, Abby was wondering why he hadn't followed her.

_**-x-**_

When the front door had been shut as silently as it had been opened, Gibbs kept waiting until he heard Abby's car drive off. Then, after turning on some brighter light, he resumed what he had been doing.

She wouldn't come back tonight. He knew she would at some point, but ... not tonight.

_**-x-**_

The following night, Gibbs waited for her; sitting on his couch in the darkness. But Abby didn't show up that night, and she didn't show up the next one either. Well, she didn't come in, to be more precise. Gibbs heard her car pull up in front of his house and long minutes passed until he heard her drive off again.

_It's __merely a matter of time,_ Gibbs said to himself. And eventually he was right.

_**-x-**_

Her car pulled up in front of his house at around 2.30a.m. He could hear her weasel round his house, looking for the slightest flare of light that could possibly give away that he was engaged in some wood-working downstairs.

A couple of minutes later, the front door was opened carefully. Gibbs was impressed by how noiselessly Abby slipped inside; how she seemed to silently levitate across the living-room floor, and how she carefully tiptoed towards the door that led to his basement.

She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that he wasn't there. Part of her wanted this nightmare to end; part of her wanted to run as far away as possible. She made some cautious steps backwards and only turned around when she reached the door frame.

That was when she saw him - a mere shadow in the dark.

"Hey, Abs."

Even though she had sort of recognized him an instant earlier, Abby winced as she heard him speak.

Gibbs switched on a small light.

Abby stared at him; shocked.

He stared at her as well, demanding an answer to the unasked question which was written all over his face. _Why do you sneak in here like this?_

Abby shook her head. The situation was starting to get unbearable. She wanted to end it, but instead things were getting worse. They needed to talk about it. But she couldn't say a word.

"Listen, Abby. If it's about what happened last week..."

"No." Her answer came too quick. Much too quick.

"I know it's not a very proper excuse, but I was running a fever and not aware of what I was saying. Or doing."

"So you do remember kissing me?" Maybe it was a bit too straightforward, Abby thought.

Yes, he did. Gibbs swallowed hard, the knot in his gut tightening. He had had a lot of time to think about it, and he meanwhile knew that it had been anything but a feverish dream. For a couple of days, part of him hadn't given up hope that the kiss had only happened in his mind, but bit by bit he had realized that nothing of what he fuzzily remembered had been some feverish fantasies: Abby, sitting at his bedside for days, wiping his brow with a cool cloth and changing his soaked shirts; Abby, lying beside him in his bed when tiredness had eventually overpowered her; and finally, Abby and him sitting on the couch, watching TV and dozing off, somehow ending up lying beside – or rather on top of each other - leading to what blatantly speaking had been nothing less than making out on his couch.

Yes, he remembered everything. But he never should have done it. It never should have happened.

Gibbs was able to mask a lot of what was going on his mind, but Abby had always been able to see more than anybody else.

"Yes, maybe you do," she told him. But there was one more thing she needed to know. "And … do you regret it?"

_tbc..._


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: I'm sorry, even though I enjoy ending chapters with tiny cliffhangers, I'm not able to draw things out a lot. So unfortunately, this already is the last chapter. The story ends way differently (a little more dramatic) than I originally planned it. Even though I considered it at some point, I'm sorry the aroma massage didn't make it into it. But since I like the idea of it, there'll be an aroma-massage one-shot somewhere down the road. Of the unfinished stories, "On the Run" will be the one I'll finish next and I'm already working on a new Gabby ("Reflections") that once again concentrates on the question: How did Gibbs and Abby meet?_

_

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_

_**Chapter 13**_

No, he didn't, but could he tell her that? It had been exciting and so different from everything he had ever dared to imagine. But at the same time, he in fact _did_ regret it. It had put their friendship at more risk than anything would ever have been able to do. It never would be what it used to be. He never would be able to kiss her cheek...

Seeing the pain filled look in Gibbs's eyes, felt like a stabbing pain to her heart.

"Yes, you do regret it," Abby misinterpreted his silence.

Pinching her lips, she slowly turned away from him and walked towards the entrance. Tears were welling in her eyes. She opened the door and without turning round she said, "I don't" and pulled the door shut.

Leaning back against the door, Abby started crying. She was angry and disappointed; about him, about herself and she wished it was nothing but a bad dream.

Gibbs stared after her, paralyzed. _What did she just say?_

Her words sank in slowly, and it took several minutes until the numbness started to abate.

"Abby." Whispering her name, Gibbs eventually rose from the couch to follow her. He stopped when he reached the front door. One hand on the handle, the other lying flat against the door leaf, he could hear Abby sobbing outside.

"Abby!" He heard himself whispering her name, but as much as he wanted to, he simply couldn't open the door.

Minutes passed.

Outside, the door of a car was flung shut. The car drove off and then, there was silence. The silence was even more paralyzing than Abby's words had been. Again, it took several minutes until Gibbs was able to react.

When he eventually opened the front door, the rather cold air of an early spring night hit him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside and watched into the direction where Abby's car presumably had disappeared.

She wasn't sorry. She didn't want to turn back the clock. Why hadn't he seen it? Why had they never been able to talk about it? Abby had eventually found the courage to tell him, and he still couldn't? Why?

He had to be honest as well.

Eventually, Gibbs grabbed his keys to follow her. Follow her to where he hoped he would find her. Her apartment.

Her car was parked in front and since he had the keys to her apartment, he let himself in, hesitating briefly to listen for any sound or noise.

_**-x-**_

With tears still welling in her eyes, Abby had rushed off. When she had reached her apartment, she had flung herself onto her bed, burying her face into the pillows, sobbing. Exhausted, she had soon fallen asleep, so she didn't hear when half an hour later, the door to her apartment was opened.

_**-x-**_

The smell of fresh paint was lingering in the air. He didn't hear anything and when his eyes adjusted to the almost darkness, he was able to feel his way across the apartment. He was careful not to trip on any of the boxes that were standing everywhere. Seeing them, Gibbs felt as if he had let her down. He knew it was rubbish; he had come down with the flu. And then things had gone strange.

The curtains were drawn back, the moonlight making it easier for him to see as he went over to the bed that was now standing in the middle of the room.

She was fully dressed, and she even had her boots on. Since Abby was lying on the blanket, he couldn't cover her properly with it, so he grabbed the woolen blanket from the couch. He took off her shoes, afraid for a second that it might wake her, but it didn't. She instead curled up, sighing.

Gibbs carefully sat down on the edge of Abby's bed, watching her sleep.

_**-x-**_

In the weak light of dawn, Abby slowly came awake. Before she opened her eyes, she felt his presence.

"Gibbs?" she mumbled.

"Yeah."

Abby blinked and subsequently squeezed her eyes shut.

"Headache?" He reached out for her, his hand lightly brushed her hair, but then he went for re-adjusting the blanket instead.

"Mm-hm." Abby nodded weakly. She still felt so very exhausted and she didn't understand why Gibbs had followed her after she had freaked out. But then it seemed that he wasn't mad at her.

He suddenly found himself running his fingers through her hair, stroking the strands back and out of her face. He then started to softly massage her temple with his thumb.

Abby sighed lowly; grateful for the relief of pain it brought.

"I'm ... sorry...," she mumbled.

"Shhh." Gibbs shook his head. He brought his fingers to his lips, applied a kiss on the tip of his forefinger and transferred it to hers.

Lifting her heavy head a little, she looked and stared at him through swollen eyes.

Gibbs gently smiled at her. Then he leaned down, kissed her temple, lingering there for a little bit. Then he gently kissed her lips.

Abby's eyes grew wide. She wondered if she was dreaming; he didn't do what he had just done, did he?

"_I_ am sorry," he explained, before he placed another kiss right beside her earlobe. "For not being honest, when I should have."

"Scoot over," he whispered.

She wasn't dreaming, was she?

Abby let him slide in beside her in bed. He wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her close.

"Go back to sleep, Abs," he said softly.

Abby threw him a sceptical and somewhat anxious look.

"I won't be leaving," he promised, smiling at her and planting another kiss on her forehead.

Hesitantly, Abby let her aching head sink down onto his chest, her hand coming to rest there as well. She still felt exhausted, but listening to his strong heartbeat was comforting and exciting at the same time. So she suddenly didn't exactly feel like sleeping.

Gibbs chuckled when she slipped her hand under his shirt. Her fingers leisurely wriggled through his grey chest hair.

"Ummm... What about your headache?" he wondered; his voice quivering.

"I heard, this is said to help."

"You _heard_?"

Abby looked up at him. "Never had the chance to find out."

[...]

When later she was lying wrapped up in his arms, and he was breathing kisses onto her neck, she answered his question "Your head feeling better?" with a smile; nodding and snuggling closer against him.

_**THE END**_


End file.
